The use of vaccines to prevent disease in humans, farm livestock, sports animals, and household pets is a common practice. Frequently, however, the antigen used in a vaccine is not sufficiently immunogenic to raise the antibody titre to levels that are sufficient to provide protection against subsequent challenge or to maintain the potential for mounting these levels over extended time periods. Further, many vaccines are altogether deficient in inducing cell-mediated immunity, which is a primary immune defense against bacterial and viral infection. A considerable amount of research is currently focussed on the development of more potent vaccines and ways to enhance the immunogenicity of antigen-containing preparations. (See e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,056,961; 6,060,068; 6,063,380; and Li et al., Science 288:2219-2222 (2000)).
Notorious among such “weak” vaccines are hepatitis B vaccines. For example, recombinant vaccines against hepatitis B virus such as Genhevacb (Pasteur Merieux Serums et Vaccines, 58, Avenue Leclerc 69007 Lyon, France), Engerixb (Smith, Kline and Symbol French), and Recombivaxhb (Merck, Sharp, and Dhome) are effective only after at least three injections at 0, 30, and 60 or 180 days, followed by an obligatory booster after one year. (Chedid et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,063,380). Additionally, many subjects receiving these vaccines respond poorly, if at all. Because many regions of the world are endemic for HBV infection, the poorly immunogenic character of existing HBV vaccines has become an extremely serious problem.
To obtain a stronger, humoral and/or cellular response, it is common to administer a vaccine in a material that enhances the immune response of the patient to the antigen present in the vaccine. The most commonly used adjuvants for vaccine protocols are oil preparations and alum. (Chedid et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,063,380). A greater repertoire of safe and effective adjuvants is needed.
Nucleoside analogs have been widely used in anti-viral therapies due to their capacity to reduce viral replication. (Hosoya et al., J. Inf. Dis., 168:641-646 (1993)). Ribavirin (1-β-D-ribofuranosyl-1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxamide) is a synthetic guanosine analog that has been used to inhibit RNA and DNA virus replication. (Huffman et al., Antimicrob. Agents. Chemother., 3:235 (1973); Sidwell et al., Science, 177:705 (1972)). Ribavirin has been shown to be a competitive inhibitor of inositol mono-phosphate (IMP) dehydrogenase (IMPDH), which converts IMP to IMX (which is then converted to GMP). De Clercq, Anti viral Agents: characteristic activity spectrum depending on the molecular target with which they interact, Academic press, Inc., New York N.Y., pp. 1-55 (1993). Intracellular pools of GTP become depleted as a result of long term Ribavirin treatment.
In addition to antiviral activity, investigators have observed that a few guanosine analogs have an effect on the immune system. (U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,063,772 and 4,950,647). Ribavirin has been shown to inhibit functional humoral immune responses (Peavy et al., J. Immunol., 126:861-864 (1981); Powers et al., Antimicrob. Agents. Chemother., 22:108-114 (1982)) and IgE-mediated modulation of mast cell secretion. (Marquardt et al., J. Pharmacol. Exp. Therapeutics, 240:145-149 (1987)). Some investigators report that a daily oral therapy of Ribavirin has an immune modulating effect on humans and mice. (Hultgren et al., J. Gen. Virol., 79:2381-2391 (1998) and Cramp et al., Gastron. Enterol., 118:346-355 (2000)). Nevertheless, the current understanding of the effects of Ribavirin on the immune system is in its infancy.